“What difference does it make?” This was the question on my mind when I quit music ten years ago. There was more to it than this, (I’ll spare you the political blah, blah, blah) but the loss of felt impact was an essential element in my leaving music behind. Restarting again has meant coming to grips with the emotions of felt rejection – and I’m not alone in this; many artists wrestle with the vulnerability of placing their creation before others. Some deal with it well – I did not.
A good friend of mine captured the issue well when he said to me, “What makes us think we have anything that needs to be said, or that anyone should care to listen?”
LET IT RAIN
The sun is burning, searing the land,
turning fertile soil into grains of sand
The fescue is unattended, brown and kindling dry,
ready for the match to ignite flames that light the sky.
This question has been on my mind for the past few weeks, and as I have been reflecting on it, a bit of insight has emerged. I am coming to a deeper understanding of grace in relation to planting seeds of faith, hope and love. If I plant them in day to day interaction with others, whether they be in a song, a blog post, or a conversation over coffee – they have the chance to encourage others.
Let it Rain – let it rain,
send the shower to revive this land again,
a flood of love will uncover,
compassion for our brother
A revival of compassion for others could flow from seeds of faith, hope and love planted in season – but, rain or no rain, nothing grows without planting. On reflection, this is making sense to me – but it is also supported by encouraging evidence. Since starting this album project and posting my reflections, I have been receiving more emails from readers as to how they have been encouraged by my words.
Seasons of drought have added to the plight,
primed the cannon’s barrel, readied for a fight,
but win, lose, or draw there is nothing to be gained,
by burning up the fields, instead of harvesting the grain.
Our world can be a crazy place – the free will heart of man will always make crazy a possibility – and the world will miss OUR planting; the voice of faith, hope and love that could flow from you and me – if we will be vulnerable enough to allow it.
